UVM Office of Sustainability - Clean Energy Fund Internshiphttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship
enEnergize your summer! 2016 Clean Energy Internship Programhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/news/energize-your-summer-2016-clean-energy-internship-program
<div class="field field-name-field-node-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sites/default/files/internshipdiagram.jpg" width="300" height="212" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Co-sponsored by UVM's <a href="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain">Clean Energy Fund</a> and host organizations/firms, we announce the launch of the Clean Energy Industry Internship Program. Developed and coordinated by Professor Amy Seidl, seven clean energy internships have been arranged with Vermont and New England based organizations/firms. Current UVM undergraduates and graduating seniors can apply to take part in the first intern cohort of 2016.</p>
<p>$2500 for each intern toward living expenses, sponsored by CEF and internship host organization.</p>
<p><strong>Application deadline is March 15, 2016</strong>. </p>
<ul><li>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Clean%20Energy%20Fund/two_rivers-ottauquechee_regional_commission_internships.pdf">Clean Energy Intern (Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission)</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Clean%20Energy%20Fund/energy_action_network.pdf">Community Energy Dashboard Interns (Energy Action Network) </a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Clean%20Energy%20Fund/energy_action_network-art.pdf">Renewable Energy as Art Intern (Energy Action Network and Clean Energy Internship Program)</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Clean%20Energy%20Fund/rev.pdf">REV Events and Campaigns Assistant (Renewable Energy Vermont)</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Clean%20Energy%20Fund/vermont_public_service_department.pdf">Renewable Energy Research and Communications Intern (Vermont Public Service Department)</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Clean%20Energy%20Fund/sunpower_by_empower_solar.pdf">Solar Design and Marketing Intern (SunPower by EmPower Solar)</a></p>
</li>
</ul><p class="p1"><img alt="" src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Images_for_Website/All%20Images/ceip-poster.png" style="width: 500px; height: 573px;" /></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund">Clean Energy Fund</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div></div></div>Fri, 19 Feb 2016 05:11:05 +0000Mieko A. Ozeki, M.S., A.L.M2400 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/news/energize-your-summer-2016-clean-energy-internship-program#commentsInternship for "Cow Power Demystified"http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/cef/cef-projects/internship-for-cow-power-demystified
<div class="field field-name-field-node-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sites/default/files/2015-06-19_21-11-37.jpg" width="300" height="212" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-project-year field-type-list-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">2014-15 Projects</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-project-date field-type-date field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Project Timeline:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">July, 2016</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-project-progress field-type-number-integer field-label-inline clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Project Progress:&nbsp;</div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">90%</div>
<div class="progress-wrapper"><div class="progress-value" style="width: 90%; display: inline-block"></div></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><strong>Project Category:</strong> Research/Study</p>
<p>Working with Extension offices, two graduate students from Community Development &amp; Applied Economics, Deandra Perruccio and Debbie Krug, evaluated current knowledge and began preliminary discussion about Cow Power at UVM, as well as identifying questions and concerns regarding anaerobic digestion and Cow Power as an electricity solution. Informed by interviews with Extension staff and other relevant stakeholders, graduate interns have developed educational materials that aim to facilitate discussion, and inform future energy planning within the UVM community.</p>
<p>Another and ongoing key objective is to encourage and facilitate discussion and debate leading to knowledge generation and capacity building regarding energy decisions within the UVM community. This project records current understanding of energy decision-making at UVM, specifically around electricity and the Cow Power Program. The feedback can provide a baseline for further education and discussion supporting democratic, thoughtful and strategic energy decisions at UVM.</p>
<p>This page includes presentation materials and other relevant information resulting from student research.</p>
<p><strong>Project Champion: </strong>Gioia Thompson</p>
<p><strong>CEF Award:</strong>&nbsp;$9,800</p>
<hr />
<h3>UPDATES&nbsp;</h3>
<p><strong>2/2016</strong>: Presentation to Extension Service staff by Deandra Perruccio and Gioia Thompson. Next steps: complete written report, put online.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>12/2015</strong>: Presentation to <a href="/sustain/sustainability-uvm/climate-action-plan">Climate Action Plan</a> Team by Deandra Perruccio.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>10/2015</strong>: Presentation on project, titled &quot;Demystifying Cow Power: MulticriteriaAnalysis of UVM&#39;s Renewable Energy Credit Purchases,&quot;&nbsp;by Debbie Krug at 2015 BioCycle Conference.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>5/2015 - 8/2015</strong>: Cow Power project team collects information and begins to draft report.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Resources on REC&#39;s, Cow Power, and UVM Electricity Decision-making</h3>
<h4><em>Demystifying Cow Power Project</em></h4>
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="244" src="//e.issuu.com/embed.html#3200541/32146563" width="650"></iframe></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Z3is7XyzDLMlJQallsQnlHZmM/view?usp=sharing">Demystifying Cow Power project with audio presentation</a>: Download from Google Drive.</li>
<li><a href="/sustain/sustainability-uvm/climate-action-plan">UVM Climate Action Plan</a>: Outlines UVM&#39;s ambitious climate neutrality goals including 100% climate neutral electricity by 2015</li>
<li><a href="http://cowpoweruvm2015_postoutreach.pdf">Cow Power at UVM Handout</a> : One page handout about the Demystifying Cow Power project</li>
</ul>
<h4>&nbsp;</h4>
<h4><em>Renewable Energy Credits</em></h4>
<p><strong>What the heck is a REC?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opJMrzNauFQ&amp;feature=youtu.be">What is a Renewable Energy Credit?</a> : Video explaining the basics</li>
<li><a href="http://www.resource-solutions.org/pub_pdfs/RECs&amp;OffsetsQ&amp;A.pdf">Center for Resource Solutions REC FAQ&#39;s Fact Sheet</a>: Overview of how REC&#39;s work; how they are different than Carbon Offests</li>
<li><a href="http://www.platts.com/im.platts.content/insightanalysis/industrysolutionpapers/recspecialreport1112.pdf">RECs- Platts Special Report</a>:Good Introduction to REC&#39;s and REC Markets in the US</li>
<li><a href="http://etnna-rec-qanda.pdf">ETNNA REC FAQs:</a> Overview of REC&#39;s and frequently asked questions about REC purchasing</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Current issues with REC&#39;s and achieving Climate Action Plan goals</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Research Articles from <a href="http://gillenwater2008.pdf">2008</a> and <a href="http://gillenwater2014.pdf">2014</a> that highlight concerns around REC purchasing and actual pollutant or renewable generation impacts</li>
<li><a href="http://vtdigger.org/2015/12/20/vermont-attorney-general-warns-solar-companies-to-stop-false-marketing/?utm_source=VTDigger+Subscribers+and+Donors&amp;utm_campaign=7f0c25e9d3-Weekly+Update&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_dc3c5486db-7f0c25e9d3-392890522">VT Digger Article</a> highlighting double counting and additionality issues with vermont solar</li>
</ul>
<h4><em><strong>Anaerobic Digestion and Vermont</strong></em></h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://video.pbs.org/viralplayer/2225827234">PBS video</a>&nbsp; Green Mountain Power and Cow Power Program</li>
<li><a href="http://www.greenmountainpower.com/innovative/cow/cow-power-partners/">GMP Cow Power Partner Farms</a></li>
<li><a href="http://digester.vtc.edu/technology/geeky-description-of-ad-process/">How anaerobic digestion works</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.vsjf.org/projects/what-are-biofuels">Biomass energy in Vermont:</a> More information from Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund about biomass energy options in the state</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h3>Testimonial from Cow Power Intern, Deandra Perruccio</h3>
<blockquote>
<p><em>&quot;The project work with the Office of Sustainability allowed me to apply some of the research skills I was learning in my program to a real-world problem, and think about how to effectively communicate issues to different audiences. I was able to work with experts, stakeholders, and other professionals involved in real decisions regarding the environmental impacts of the University. Through the&nbsp; project I also learned about all of the issues and work happening in energy markets from the people working around those issues, and found investigating the energy system and related policies in order to educate decision-makers a valuable interesting work. Because of my internship, I became interested in working in energy policy and decided to apply for an energy analyst position. I was offered the position due in large part to my experience during the Office of Sustainability project which provided me hands on skills in researching energy policies and communicating research to a variety of audiences. The project also helped me to understand what kind of work I like and make better decisions about the kind of jobs that fit me well. I am excited to begin my new position, and thankful for the opportunity to explore sustainability issues while building real skills directly applicable to the jobs I wanted to pursue.&quot;&nbsp;</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/556">Cow Power</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-projects">Clean Energy Fund Projects</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/560">CEF Research/Study</a></div></div></div>Fri, 29 May 2015 14:11:35 +0000Roisin Low '162325 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/cef/cef-projects/internship-for-cow-power-demystified#commentsSustainability Internship Programhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustainability-internship-program
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><h2 dir="ltr">Description of Program</h2>
<p dir="ltr">The Office of Sustainability offers a few paid and work study internships during the academic year and summer. Interns get involved in projects that relate to programs the Office of Sustainability coordinates both on and off campus. Our interns get to work in a professional environment and gain experience through projects generated by our department and by the interns themselves.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The goal of our internship program is to provide real world experiences and professional development opportunities while meeting our Office’s mission: to foster sustainable development and promote environmental responsibility at the University of Vermont by strategically bridging the academic activities of teaching, research, and outreach with the operations of the University.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Paid internships are sourced from either the Office of Sustainability’s departmental budget or from UVM’s Clean Energy Fund. Sustained by a self-imposed student fee of $10 per student per semester, UVM’s Clean Energy Fund is designed to advance renewable energy research, education, and infrastructure on campus. CEF interns work on a variety of outreach and media projects, documenting the progress of current CEF projects and bringing awareness to campus about the Fund. There are three types of internships we offer:</p>
<div>
<table align="left" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"><tbody><tr><td>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Communications &amp; Outreach Intern</strong></p>
<p> The Sustainability Communications &amp; Outreach intern will develop communication pieces (via blogposts, case studies, promotional materials) for Office of Sustainability website and other related sites. The intern will work on special projects and activities during the academic year.</p></td>
</tr><tr><td>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Media Intern</strong></p>
<p> The Media intern will storyboard, film, edit, and post videos on sustainability related events and projects. The intern is responsible for producing videos and photo galleries on these projects; upload these multimedia projects to Office of Sustainability website and Vimeo channel.</p></td>
</tr><tr><td>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Special Project Intern</strong></p>
<p>The Special Project intern works on specific initiatives, events, and campaigns for different departments.</p>
</td>
</tr></tbody></table><p> </p>
<hr /><h2>Internship Project Accomplishments</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Publication%20and%20Resources/2014-2015_accomplishments.pdf">2014-2015 Internship Projects</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Publication%20and%20Resources/2015-2016_internship_work_plan.jpg">2015-2016 Internship Work Plan</a></li>
</ul><hr /><h2>2005-2013 Alumni Report</h2>
<p><em>Report prepared and written by Patrick Mathon '16, Sustainability Outreach Intern</em></p>
<p>Below is a summary of information on 16 students, who were interns at the University of Vermont’s Office of Sustainability, between 2005 to 2013. These alumni are among the many students who have interned for the Office of Sustainability, either for pay, work study, or academic credit.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Images_for_Website/All%20Images/majors.jpg" style="width: 245px; height: 143px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 1px;" /> <img alt="" src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustain/sites/default/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Images_for_Website/All%20Images/graduate_school.jpg" style="width: 240px; height: 144px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 1px;" /></p>
<p><strong>Majors of Intern Alumni</strong>: Most of the intern alumni majored in environmental studies (37%), followed by environmental sciences (13%), natural resources (13%), and engineering (13%). The remaining alumni (25%) studied Economics, Political Science, Statistics, and Public Communications.</p>
<p>At the time of reporting, a majority of the intern alumni (63%) have not attended graduate school. However, six alumni (37%) are either enrolled in a graduate program or have completed their graduate degree. Examples of their areas of study include Environmental Engineering Science, Environmental Science, and Sustainable Foods. Class of 2009 graduate and former sustainability intern Dexter Locke completed a Master of Environmental Science at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2013 and currently, working on his doctorate at Clark University’s Graduate School of Geography.</p>
<p>Sixty-two percent of our intern alumni are currently working in a field related to the environment and/or sustainability. Recent graduate and former CEF intern Kierstin Wall (Class of 2013) is the Northeast Field Organizer for the Real Food Challenge, “a national food movement working to shift the money universities spend on food to real food that nourishes the earth, and our communities.” The remaining 38% work in industries such as technology, finance, and marketing. Recent graduate and former sustainability intern, David Manago (Class of 2013) is currently working for Google, as part of their small business division. Another graduate and former sustainability outreach intern, Leigh Corrigan (Class of 2013) is working at Bloomberg L.P. as a financial analyst.</p>
<p>Nine of the former interns (56%) are working at a for-profit company, while 38% are working for not-for-profit organizations and 6% are working for the government. Before attending Yale, former sustainability intern Dexter Locke (Class of 2009) worked as a Project Technician for the New York City Urban Field Station, through a cooperative agreement with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation’s Central Forestry, Horticulture, and Natural Resources Division. Currently, Dexter is a doctoral candidate in geography at Clark University in Worcester, MA. His research focuses on the emerging roles of geospatial technology in urban environmental planning and collaborative decision making, residential landscapes in urban and suburban areas, sociological theories of the middle range, and the intersection of science and policy on urban and community forestry.</p>
<hr /><h2>Testimonials</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Former interns spoke very highly of their Office of Sustainability internship experience and how it has carried over to their professional careers:</p>
<blockquote><p dir="ltr">"Helping establish the Clean Energy Fund was instrumental to my education at UVM. I learned foundational, real-world skills that are difficult to teach in the classroom. It's something I'm always proud to talk about during job interviews."<br />
– Daniel Belhumeur, UVM Class of 2009</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote><p dir="ltr">"The tireless group of people behind the Office of Sustainability empowered me to get involved, advocate for policy changes, and connect groups with shared goals for positive impacts in our communities. This prepared me to work for a consulting firm run by David Gardiner, former Director of the White House Climate Change Task Force under President Clinton and Assistant Administrator for Policy at the Environmental Protection Agency."<br />
– Taylor Lalemand, UVM Class of 2009</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote><p>"Currently I work in the wind industry, where my primary roles are energy assessment, project development, and site assessment for wind power. The internship served as a good base which allowed me to pursue potential careers in a variety of renewable energy fields which I found particularly useful when applying for jobs."<br class="kix-line-break" /><br /><span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;"> </span></span>– Ryan Darlow, UVM Class of 2012</p>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/543">Office of Sustainability Internship</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/546">Internship Program</a></div></div></div>Thu, 30 Apr 2015 20:16:27 +0000Mieko A. Ozeki, M.S., A.L.M2318 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sustainability-internship-program#commentsWrapping up Interviews and Editinghttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/blog/wrapping-up-interviews-and-editing
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><span style="font-size: 12px;">On August 4th, I conducted an interview with Rich Smith, an intern on the technical team whose focus in this project was on geothermal technologies.&nbsp; We intended to begin the interview around 10am at the library, and move on to filming the survey process at McAuley Hall afterward.&nbsp; This way, we would know exactly what clips to film in order to match the interview dialogue.&nbsp; Unfortunately, we both had forgotten Saturday&#39;s library hours, which are noon-5pm.&nbsp; Since we had two hours to fill, I decided to show Rich the interview questions and let him study them for a bit before starting the survey filming.&nbsp; This process worked out just fine, and our interview went smoothly.&nbsp; Rich discussed how geothermal technologies work by harnessing the difference in temperature between the ground and the air during different seasons, to create a heat transfer from the ground to a fluid running through underground piping.&nbsp; He then explained what one must look for in a building and the surrounding area, for a geothermal installation to be considered feasible.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in">On August 7th , I completed the interview process with Mieko Ozeki.&nbsp; Originally, I had intended to get in contact with Bob Vaughan, Director of Capital Planning and Management, to discuss the background of the Comprehensive Campus Renewable Energy Feasibility Study.&nbsp; I had heard from Michelle Smith that he would be a prime candidate to talk to about this subject, but due to schedule mismatches and a limited time frame, I was not able to meet with him.&nbsp; Mieko proved to be equally suited for the position, and our interview went smoothly as well.&nbsp; A few subjects touched on in this interview were regarding the origin of the CCREFS idea, the key players in this project and how UVM students can keep track of the progress and results of this study.</p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in">The last couple weeks have been a very productive time period in this internship.&nbsp; I&#39;ve finally begun to see the pieces come together in the video&#39;s I&#39;ve been working on.&nbsp; I&#39;ve realized that a couple of the videos may be a bit longer than others, and that I may even have to add a 5th video short.&nbsp; One thing I think I would have done differently if I had the chance, would be to start planning some of the interviews earlier in the summer.&nbsp; This would have allowed me to have more time to deal with editing complications, as there always seems to be at least a couple along the way.&nbsp; It&#39;s been very rewarding to see these videos come together, most of them just how planned.&nbsp; I&#39;m looking forward to presenting these to Mieko and Michelle in the upcoming week!&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div></div></div>
<div class="author">
<img src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail-70x60/public/images/staff/daniel.jpg?itok=TCv2W4BZ" width="70" height="60" alt="" />
<p>by <span class="author-name">Daniel Hopkins &#039;13, CEF Summer Media Intern</span></p>
<span class="submitted">August 16, 2012</span> </div>
Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:27:33 +0000Daniel Hopkins '131287 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/blog/wrapping-up-interviews-and-editing#commentsFinal Weekshttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/blog/final-weeks
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>With the Equine Center Solar PV project completed and the final Comprehensive Campus Renewable Energy Feasibility Study reports being written, these Clean Energy Fund projects are winding down. My outreach duties have not however, and with the final weeks of the internship coming to an end I have been working on multiple press releases, an information pamphlet for the Equine Center, and reflecting on what I have learned over the past weeks and how these new skills will affect my future career.</p><p>The reflection portion is always difficult, it is always challenging to critique your own work, however I find that using mind mapping, as I have discussed before, is the best way to not only organize my thoughts, but look at the bigger picture of this internship as a whole, and my part in that.</p><p>Conclusions are being made about the CCREFS, CHA is developing a map for the Clean Energy Fund Committee, which will visually show where is and is not suitable for renewable energy projects on campus. This map, in conjunction with the surveying reports written by the CEF interns Jack, Rich, and Ryan, will convey a message to the present and future UVM community about the possibilities of renewable energy, as well as the lessons learned by the interns, including why the University is not able to install solar panels on every building on campus.</p><p>The Equine Center Solar PV project will convey a broader message; the possibilities of renewable energy and the sustainable future the Clean Energy Fund Committee envisions for the campus and for the community. I have been developing an information pamphlet to be distributed at the Equine Center Opening Ceremony. This pamphlet will provide the public with more detailed information on the project and where to learn more about the Clean Energy Fund and sustainable projects the Committee is working on. I have been forced to think about presenting a clean and simple design, including images and a great deal of information to squeeze into an 8&frac12; by 11in. space. This has proven challenging, although I thoroughly enjoy using Adobe InDesign to work with; the skills I learned in my Applied Design courses at UVM have happened to be vey helpful.</p><p><img alt="" src="/sustain/sustain/sites/uvm.edu.sustain/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Images_for_Website/All%20Images/blog5.png" style="width: 327px; height: 250px;" /></p><p>I have been taking color, balance and special boundaries into consideration and have been thinking about how my audience will read this pamphlet. I hope my audience leaves the ceremony, pamphlet in hand, with a bigger picture in mind; one of renewable energy systems in their homes, at their workplaces, and ideas to create a more sustainable future.</p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-projects">Clean Energy Fund Projects</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-committee">Clean Energy Fund Committee</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/campus-renewable-energy-feasibility-study">Campus Renewable Energy Feasibility Study</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/comprehensive-renewable-energy-feasibility">Comprehensive Renewable Energy Feasibility</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/miller-research-farm">Miller Research Farm</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/equine-center-solar-project">Equine Center Solar Project</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/equine-center-ribbon-cutting-ceremony">Equine Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony</a></div></div></div>
<div class="author">
<img src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail-70x60/public/images/staff/kierstin.jpg?itok=WhAZBPq5" width="70" height="60" alt="" />
<p>by <span class="author-name">Kierstin Wall &#039;13, CEF Summer Outreach Intern</span></p>
<span class="submitted">August 4, 2012</span> </div>
Sat, 04 Aug 2012 16:10:17 +0000Kierstin Wall '131283 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainSurvey Filming, Time-Lapse Wrap-up and The Interview Processhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/blog/survey-filming-time-lapse-wrap-up-and-the-interview-process
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As the surveying process for the Comprehensive Campus Renewable Energy Feasibility Study (CCREFS) is beginning to come to an end, I spent the beginning of my week catching up with the interns on their findings.&nbsp; After discussing with them about the conclusions and highlights of their surveying experience, I was able envision exactly the way I hoped my videos to come together.&nbsp; I spent a morning with Ryan Darlow on UVM&rsquo;s central campus where he described to me the various reasons why renewable wind technologies would not be feasible at this location.&nbsp; He described his reasons for this decision as being due to the very condensed layout of buildings on UVM&rsquo;s campus, low wind speeds and several obstructions.&nbsp; As I began to compile footage of Ryan surveying around campus, I realized that only some of what I&rsquo;d captured would be useful for voice-over footage for the video.&nbsp; I decided that in order for the surveying footage to fit correctly, I must be patient and carry out the intern&rsquo;s interviews first.&nbsp; Since the genre of documentary and interview filmmaking is still fairly new to me, every step of this process has been a huge learning experience.&nbsp;</p><p>While waiting for the first of the scheduled interviews to occur, I continued editing the final time-lapse for the Equine Center installation.&nbsp; After a second round of reviews from Mieko and Michelle, and re-watching the time-lapse several times myself, I was able to add some finishing touches and more or less, call it done.&nbsp; As I&rsquo;ve experienced in the past with other video projects, it seems to be a very crucial step to let a fresh pair of eyes review a video in progress before making any finalizations. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>From what I thought would be a fairly simple task, the process of interviewing is actually the opposite.&nbsp; The first interview conducted for this internship was with Kirk Herander of VT Solar, the company performing the Equine Center installation.&nbsp; This interview proved to be a very valuable learning experience for me, and would be a tremendous help in preparing for the upcoming interviews with the rest of the interns and other key players in these projects.&nbsp; The first mistake I made was not testing the clip-on external microphone which I had rented from UVM&rsquo;s Media Department.&nbsp; When I arrived on scene with Michelle for the interview, I was scrambling to get it to work, but had no such luck.&nbsp; I continued on with the interview anyways due to time constraints.&nbsp; I quickly ran into another issue.&nbsp; While the answers I received from Kirk were extremely interesting, in-depth and knowledgeable, they were not what I had intended when going into the interview.&nbsp; For the video at hand, I was looking for concise, succinct and to the point dialogue in which the general public would be able to understand.&nbsp; Michelle and I expressed this idea to Kirk and he was very understanding.&nbsp; Luckily, he is willing to do re-do the interview after I clarify and condense my question list.&nbsp; This experience has taught me to be more aware of possible technical difficulties before arriving at a scene.&nbsp; Also that, while envisioning what an interview is going to look and sound like is one thing, actually producing this product is a completely different story.</p><p>Using what I had learning from the first interview experience, I&rsquo;ve since carried out interviews with Jack Lehreke and Rylan Darlow who are the interns working closely with CHA on the CCREFS, as well as with Josie Davis, the Associate Dean for the CALS department.&nbsp; I found that using a shotgun microphone instead of a clip-on, solved my audio issues and that reviewing my interview questions more carefully will result in a much more concise and useful answer.</p><p>The past two weeks have taught me a lot about the art behind putting together a documentary film.&nbsp; While learning from your mistakes is a proven way to progress at anything, catching those mistakes before they happen is a much more efficient way of making this progress!&nbsp;</p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div></div></div>
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<img src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail-70x60/public/images/staff/daniel.jpg?itok=TCv2W4BZ" width="70" height="60" alt="" />
<p>by <span class="author-name">Daniel Hopkins &#039;13, CEF Summer Media Intern</span></p>
<span class="submitted">August 2, 2012</span> </div>
Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:55:42 +0000Daniel Hopkins '131279 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainUnexpected Obstacles and Video Format Issue Resolved!http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/blog/unexpected-obstacles-and-video-format-issue-resolved
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The past two weeks have consisted of many unexpected obstacles and more importantly, the solutions to those obstacles.&nbsp; As I began organizing and editing some of the video clips I&rsquo;d converted from .MTS (a very uncommon and difficult video format to work with) to .AVI (a standard video format supported by almost all editing systems), I noticed that the trial video converter program I&rsquo;d been using was shortening the length of each video and reducing the quality dramatically.&nbsp; Knowing that I would be eventually uploading these videos to Vimeo, which requires rendering and therefore resulting in even lower video quality, I knew I had to find a way to fix this!&nbsp;</p><p>After searching countless blogs and forums on working with .MTS footage, I came up with two solutions.&nbsp; One being to buy a $250 dollar codec plug-program called MainConcept Codec Suite 5 for Adobe Premiere Pro CS 5.5, the editing system I&rsquo;m using for this project.&nbsp; This solution would allow me to work with the footage in full quality, which is really quite stunning but is also very expensive.&nbsp; The other solution was to buy a $30 video converter program which would allow me to convert the video into .AVI, resulting in a lower but descent quality, while also preserving the entire length of the video clips unlike before.&nbsp; Luck was on my side this time and my friend just happened to have the $30 video converter program on his computer.&nbsp; I was able to load it onto my computer, and am now working with much better looking videos!&nbsp; By working through this task I have proved to myself that with time, research and patience I will be able to overcome several future technological obstacles.</p><p>Aside from the minor complication previously mentioned, I&rsquo;ve spent a good deal of time beginning to edit the time-lapse clip for the Equine Center PV (photo-voltaic or solar panel) installation video.&nbsp; After receiving feedback from Michelle and Mieko on the sample time-lapse I had created, I&rsquo;ve deciding to slow down the time-lapse speed and insert descriptive, week-by-week captions as well.&nbsp; It has become apparent that it&rsquo;s very important to obtain feedback and opinions from outside viewers on my work in progress.&nbsp; After all, it is the viewer who decides if a video is informative, clear and entertaining or boring, scattered and vague.</p><p><img alt="" src="/sustain/sustain/sites/uvm.edu.sustain/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Images_for_Website/All%20Images/img_0110.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 113px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 1px; float: left; " />Recently, I encountered another obstacle relating to the video editing production.&nbsp; A colony of wasps decided to form a nest directly underneath the time-lapse camera located on the wooden post of the CREAM building at Miller Farms.&nbsp; Michelle was very avid about getting this nest removed for my own safety, and I thank her for that!&nbsp; It is unfortunate that these innocent critters had to be killed, but otherwise I would not have been able to upload photos from the camera without the possibility of a painful wasp attack.&nbsp;</p><p>Overall, the past two weeks have taught me how important it is to be able to &ldquo;roll with the punches&rdquo; and adapt to unexpected situations thrown my direction. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div></div></div>
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<img src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail-70x60/public/images/staff/daniel.jpg?itok=TCv2W4BZ" width="70" height="60" alt="" />
<p>by <span class="author-name">Daniel Hopkins &#039;13, CEF Summer Media Intern</span></p>
<span class="submitted">July 20, 2012</span> </div>
Sat, 21 Jul 2012 00:50:47 +0000Daniel Hopkins '131276 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainMind Mapping and Career Explorationhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/blog/mind-mapping-and-career-exploration
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The past week I have been working on the final steps to organizing the Equine Center Ceremony. I also stopped by UVM Career Services, a free service offered to UVM students, by suggestion of our internship advisors. On my first meeting, I took the Myers-Briggs personality test; a test designed to tell you what your preferences are, your best features, and where your flaws may lie. The career advisor and I determined I was type ENFJ: extroversion, intuition, feeling and judging. The test then provides in depth descriptions of each type. The tagline for my &#39;type&#39;? &ldquo;As a rule, ENFJs are responsible people who like to get things settled and who are conscientious in following through on commitments. They like to be involved in many things at once and often pull it off because they are organized.&rdquo;</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I then took my skill set, something we have been discussing during the internship as a tool to present to possible future employers, and created a &#39;mind-map,&#39; something else we have been discussing as a way to organize our thoughts. I have been sketching out mind maps my entire student career, however I find my handwriting unbearable to decipher, even for myself. With suggestions to find mind mapping software online, I found a free simple to use site, <a href="http://mind42.com/">Mind42.com</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><img alt="" src="/sustain/sustain/sites/uvm.edu.sustain/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Images_for_Website/All%20Images/blog_4.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 214px;" /> I created a mind map to organize this blog post. I took this mind map and matched some of the tasks I completed last week with my skill-set. Every week it seems as though I complete many smaller tasks that help to accomplish a larger goal. I enjoy finishing tasks, using my creativity, being organized, and communicating with others. I have used all of these skills the past week, between communicating with Conference and Event Services to confirm the Equine Center event, completing all the invitations, and using the mind mapping website to organize all of my work.I look forward to using mind mapping for everyday organizing and to do lists.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund">Clean Energy Fund</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-projects">Clean Energy Fund Projects</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/uvm">UVM</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/453">Mindmapping</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/equine-center-solar-project">Equine Center Solar Project</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/equine-center-ribbon-cutting-ceremony">Equine Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/career-center">Career Center</a></div></div></div>
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<img src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail-70x60/public/images/staff/kierstin.jpg?itok=WhAZBPq5" width="70" height="60" alt="" />
<p>by <span class="author-name">Kierstin Wall &#039;13, CEF Summer Outreach Intern</span></p>
<span class="submitted">July 20, 2012</span> </div>
Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:12:04 +0000Kierstin Wall '131275 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/blog/mind-mapping-and-career-exploration#commentsOrganization and Time Managementhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/blog/organization-and-time-management
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>I believe the greatest skills I am acquiring from this internship thus far are organization and time management. Working two labor jobs on top of this internship has proven challenging; physically and mentally. Thankfully, I have been able to keep track of my to do lists and use my resources, including my iPhone and Basecamp, a project management software, to organize myself.</p><p>This week I scheduled the Equine Center ceremony with UVM. To schedule an event on campus one must use the r25 webviewer system. This system allows you to choose a location on campus you wish to reserve for your event. You must fill out a request form along with codes that ensure you are part of the UVM community who is requesting to use their space. This process is time consuming, requests take long to process, the system logs you out halfway through your form and you must fill everything back in again. Patience is indeed a virtue. Working a field that uses new technologies you must be prepared for the unexpected.</p><p>At the end of the form you are asked for set-up details, trying to give Conference and Event Services the most information possible I included where we would need to have the podium and the chairs, when they would need to be set up and that we plan on having Sodexo cater coffee and light food. I went to the farm to look again at where we would place everyone. The podium will be placed somewhere in front of the Equine Center, perhaps near the red x. However, the grass directly in front of that spot, as shown in the picture on the right, is on far too much of a slant to place folding chairs. Instead the guests should be seated farther along the grass, as seen in the picture on the left which seems fairly level, this however, creates a problem because we would like our guests to have a full view of the roof during the ceremony and the placement shown in the picture to the left does not give them a view of the roof.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="/sustain/sustain/sites/uvm.edu.sustain/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Images_for_Website/All%20Images/blog_pic_1.png" style="width: 378px; height: 250px;" /></p><p>Another option I took into consideration would be to have the podium in the driveway I front of the Center, as seen in the picture on the left, while the guests may be seated in the driveway, as seen in the picture on the right. This is a large, level area, and our guests would have full view of the roof; however, dust and dirt that can be picked up from a large crowd as well as the need for vehicles to get about could be problematic.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="/sustain/sustain/sites/uvm.edu.sustain/files/uploads/Documents%20Archive/For_Website/Documents_for_Website/Images_for_Website/All%20Images/blog_pic_2.png" style="width: 466px; height: 150px;" /></p><p>My next task is to relay all the information my fellow interns and I have learned, along with summaries of the Comprehensive Campus Renewable Energy Feasibility Study, and the Equine Center Solar PV Project, and sum it all together so that any audience may understand what we have accomplished this summer. This task is starting off slow, as gathering information is easy but transforming all the information I have into something comprehendible is the challenge. This is why the next task I have made for myself, is to take all the information I have gathered, both from my own experience and my peer interns and transform it into a Prezi. Prezi is a creative presentation editor, I will use Prezi to visually show the &#39;journey&#39; each intern and project are on, and at the end I look forward to&nbsp; put everything into words for my press release pieces.</p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund">Clean Energy Fund</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-projects">Clean Energy Fund Projects</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/sustain/tags/comprehensive-renewable-energy-feasibility">Comprehensive Renewable Energy Feasibility</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/equine-center-solar-project">Equine Center Solar Project</a></div></div></div>
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<img src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail-70x60/public/images/staff/kierstin.jpg?itok=WhAZBPq5" width="70" height="60" alt="" />
<p>by <span class="author-name">Kierstin Wall &#039;13, CEF Summer Outreach Intern</span></p>
<span class="submitted">July 12, 2012</span> </div>
Fri, 13 Jul 2012 02:09:51 +0000Kierstin Wall '131272 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainVideo Concepts, CCREFS Filming and Video Conversionhttp://www.uvm.edu/sustain/news-events/blog/video-concepts-ccrefs-filming-and-video-conversion
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Over the past two weeks I&rsquo;ve spent the majority of my time writing video scripts, brainstorming new video concepts/themes, filming with CEF intern Jack Lehrecke, uploading time-lapse photos and researching methods of converting AVCHD video files into a high quality format supported by my editing system.&nbsp;</p><p>As the media intern, it is my responsibility to produce creative and informative videos while at the same time keeping the audience interested.&nbsp; The most challenging part of this process is simply coming up with an idea to put into action.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ve found that brainstorming original ideas in which are realistic, catchy and appropriate to the subject matter is a more difficult process than it may sound.&nbsp; I also believe it&rsquo;s very important to have an eye-catching introduction for these videos to lure the audience in effectively.&nbsp; So far I&rsquo;ve come up with a scripted introduction for the video explaining the surveying process behind the Comprehensive Campus Renewable Energy Feasibility Study (CCREFS and a general layout and direction for all four videos.&nbsp; I hope to have the introductions of all of the videos written out in a storyboard within the next week.</p><p>Last Thursday, June 28<sup>th</sup>, I spent part of the afternoon observing what goes on behind the surveying process for a photovoltaic (PV) installation.&nbsp; Jack Lehrecke was a great help by clearly explaining the several characteristics of a building that must be taken into account before a solar panel installation can be considered.&nbsp; He explained that a roof is considered feasible if its substrate is suitable (stone based roofs are <em>not</em> suitable for example), its slope is less than 60&deg; and it is facing south or west, but preferably south.&nbsp; Jack also explained that certain geometric features of a roof that cause shading will determine where exactly the solar panels should be installed.&nbsp; One of these features is termed an &ldquo;eve&rdquo;, which is the part of a roof that exceeds the height of the rest of the roof, therefore casting a shadow over a certain area.&nbsp; By obtaining this type of information, I feel more able to form questions for upcoming interviews with the CEF interns.&nbsp; By being more knowledgeable about this subject matter, I will be able to write more specific questions, and in return obtain more thorough responses from my interviewees.</p><p>I&rsquo;ve continued to check on both time-lapse cameras as well as upload and edit photos from them over the past two weeks as well.&nbsp; I was able to talk with Kirk on one of these occasions about when the solar panels were due for installation.&nbsp; This allowed me to return to the farm on the appropriate day, and at the appropriate time to film the solar panels being placed on the Equine Center roof.</p><p>The last task I&rsquo;ve been working on is researching video editing software forums in hope to find something that will either support the video format of the supplied camcorder (.MTS), or will successfully convert this format into a usable video format, <strong><em>without </em></strong>losing a great deal of video quality.&nbsp; I had initially downloaded some free software that could convert these files into .AVI, a common video format for Windows editing systems, but could not retain the high quality picture of the .MTS video files.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m slowly coming closer to finding an alternative means of editing these video files, but have found myself very frustrated with this issue.&nbsp; I do know that once this dilemma is solved, I will have learned a whole lot about video encoding, compression settings, and the many complications behind mysterious video formats.&nbsp; This will be a huge benefit in my future of video editing.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/sustain/tags/clean-energy-fund-internship">Clean Energy Fund Internship</a></div></div></div>
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<img src="http://www.uvm.edu/sustain/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail-70x60/public/images/staff/daniel.jpg?itok=TCv2W4BZ" width="70" height="60" alt="" />
<p>by <span class="author-name">Daniel Hopkins &#039;13, CEF Summer Media Intern</span></p>
<span class="submitted">July 6, 2012</span> </div>
Fri, 06 Jul 2012 17:33:12 +0000Daniel Hopkins '131268 at http://www.uvm.edu/sustain